West Midland Regional League

Premier Division

Tuesday 9th October 2018

Wednesfield 0-8 Tividale

Wednesfield Whipped

Say what you like, but after a nip and tuck first half where Tividale just had their noses in front in a game between two equal teams. No one expected the final result.

In the win against Dudley, Tividale picked up a couple of injuries and a fair few knocks. Tyree Clarke and goalkeeper Ryan Cheshire would miss this game and were replaced by Luke Kriskinans and Dan Smith, who himself had to go off on Saturday after originally replacing Clarke with a tight hamstring. The other changes were Brad Welding in for TJ Munthali, Karl Gardner and Matt Hunt for Dan Bryson and Freddie Watts who were both unavailable. With us down on numbers Manager Dave King was only able to name 3 subs.

In a fairly uneventful first half, both sides were guilty of giving away petty fouls. The visitors having the first effort on goal after 4 minutes a Darragh Bustin free kick was blocked and Lee Smith’s follow up shot was saved by Wednesfield keeper Craig Radford. On 10 minutes Tividale took the lead. Wednesfield Ben Wilkes handled the ball just outside his penalty area and Weldings free kick to the far post found an unmarked Ben Birch and he literally walked the ball home.

Demetri Brown had a great chance to extend the lead on 20 minutes when put through but his chipped effort although clearing Radford the ball also cleared the bar and it landed on the roof of the net.

Wednesfield although never really troubling Kriskinans were well in the game throughout the half and had a good chance on the half hour mark when a Chad Birch shot was blocked by the Tividale defence. But throughout the half both sides cancelled each other out.

Half Time: Wednesfield 0-1 Tividale

The half was only 3 minutes old when Tividale went 2-0 up. Bustin found Brown down the left flank and his cross cleared Wednesfield defender Perks and Dan Smith came flying in behind him to head home his 50th Tividale goal. 5 minutes later it was 3-0. The ball was allowed to bounce in the box from a Welding corner and Birch was left unmarked in the centre of the goal and he just nodded the ball home. Tividale should have made it four on 56 minutes when Curtis Cocking started a flowing move by sweeping the ball out to Brown and his cut back was met by Wilkinson on the half volley, but he was thwarted by a great Radford save.

Wednesfield even now were still a danger and on 58 minutes Kriskinans did well to claw away a Kevin Nickle shot that was heading for the top right hand corner. On the hour Tividale did make it 4-0. Brown was brought down in the area by Radford and Bustin stepped up and made no mistake from the spot. Two minutes later it was 5-0 and game over. Wilkinson’s pass to Brown who in turn left the home defence appealing in vain for offside, he rounded the stranded Radford and passed the ball into the back of the net.

It was now all Tividale and a Welding clearance on 66 minutes set Brown away but he could not keep his shot down. Then Welding himself saw his free kick well saved by Radford.

On 70 minutes Tividale made their first substitution with Elliot Hartley coming on for Dan Smith. 5 minutes later they made a double change with Reece Shilvock and Harvey Walker replacing Lee Smith and Bustin.

With 7 minutes to go Hartley burst into the Wednesfield box and was brought down by Wednesfield full back Harrison Barrett, a challenge that earned him a second yellow card. With the normal penalty taker, Bustin back on the bench. Hartley stepped up and as Radford dived to his left, Hartley calmly slotted the ball to his left and in. 6-0.

On 85 minutes Kriskinans again foiled Nickle with an identical save to the one earlier. Again palming away an effort destined for the top corner. Hartley netted his second and Tividale 7th on 88 minutes. Cocking lofted the ball into the Wednesfield box, Radford came but did not get to it and Hartley stabbed the ball home.

Tividale rounded off the scoring in injury time with another counter attack. From a Kriskinans clearance Welding raced down the right flank and played the ball down the line for Hartley who in turn played the ball back to Welding who had continued his run into the box. He in turn was upended by Wednesfield sub Fabian Facey. Hartley again stepped up and drilled the spot kick low into Radford’s bottom left hand corner for his hattrick and Tividale’s 8th and what turned out to be the last shot of the game.

Full Time:-Wednesfield 0-8 Tividale

Tividale:-1. Luke Kriskinans, 2. Bradley Welding, 3. Darragh Bustin (12. Harvey Walker 75), 4. Ben Birch, 5. Karl Gardner, 6. Matt Hunt, 7. Lee Smith (14. Reece Shilvock 75), 8. Liam Wilkinson, 9. Dan Smith (15. Elliott Hartley 70), 10. Demetri Brown, 11. Curtis Cocking

Unused Subs:- None